1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved wireline (also referred to as circuit) communications system and in particular to wireline communications utilizing packet based telecommunication systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Going xe2x80x9coff-hookxe2x80x9d is a term in the telecommunications industry that refers to lifting the telephone handset, or the equivalent, from its cradle. A hookswitch, in the handset, alerts a local central office that the user wants to dial a number. The central office then provides a dial tone to the handset. The user dials or enters numbers that correspond to the telephone number to which the user wishes to connect.
Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (xe2x80x9cDTMFxe2x80x9d) is a term describing push button dialing. When a button on a telephone button pad is touched, a tone (combining two frequencies) is generated. Dialing, or pushing, a telephone number generates a combination of frequencies that the central office interprets as a telephone number. The central office routes the call to the target phone number.
A data call, generated by a modem, is accomplished in much the same way: a) the modem goes off-hook, b) the central office provides a dial tone, c) the modem automatically dials a phone number, d) the central office routes the call to the target number, e) the modem makes a connection with a digital communications device at the target number and f) communications between digital communication devices begins.
A majority of connections made to a telephone service provider are voice connections. A dial tone is provided to an off-hook communications device regardless of the type of device, voice or data. If the device is a analog voice communication device, the tone is a signal that the device is connected with the local switch. The switch provides connection to the target telephone number.
Digital communication with sites on the Internet, or World Wide Web (WWW, a convention for linking together text documents, interactive programs and images over the Internet), is becoming a significant portion of circuit communications. Internet addresses and links, utilizing HyperText Markup Language (HTML) provide the navigation means between sites on the internet. The communications protocol employed by the internet via telecommunication devices is Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). TCP/IP, a known packet based protocol, breaks a transmission into information packets and sends the packets to other addresses on the Internet or on an intranet. An intranet, as opposed to the Internet, provides a method of distributing information between different personal computers (PC) within a company on a limited scale, i.e., a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN).
In the wireline world (wireline is also referred to as circuit), Internet and data communications, in general, bypass the wireline switch and revenues are siphoned off to other service providers, limiting the role of local telephone companies (telcos) to access providers. A telco, or access provider, typically provides a subscriber a connection to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that, in turn, connects to the global Internet. A new type of ISP, cable television, has emerged that provides extremely fast connections to the Internet. This service with its broad bandwidth capability is able to provide very good voice over Internet Protocol transmissions, which will reduce the cost of long distance calls and provide equivalent voice quality. Thus, the future of most long distance data and voice communication is directed at the Internet.
Access to the Internet is generally accomplished by a browser operating on a computer, via modem, through wireline services. A user (also, subscriber) activates a browser, which connects through a modem to dial up an ISP. Connection is made through a local telephone company switch via circuit (wires) to an Internet gateway, in this example an ISP. A modem at the ISP connects with the user""s modem and routes/connects the user""s computer to the Internet.
An ISP usually has many incoming telephone lines and more customers than telephone lines. Wireline, or circuit, service charges to the ISP are typically based on the number of lines and type of service provided. ISPs commonly charge flat monthly rates that are relatively cheap compared with an equivalent amount of time spent on a voice call. With the advent of Internet telephony, long distance phone calls (voice or analog, not just data) are also being made through the ISP, bypassing the traditional long distance carrier.
Voice networks, including long distance, are generally designed on the proposition that there will be about 10% residential and 20% simultaneous business usage. An average voice call length is generally three minutes. In a study, by Bellcore(trademark) (Bell Communications Research of Morristown, N.J.), the average connect time for an Internet call (data) was 20 minutes and some calls lasted more than 24 hours. According to Bellcore""s estimates, the cost to the telephone companies (telco) of moving Internet traffic over the voice network may exceed one billion dollars.
As discussed previously TCP/IP is a packet based protocol and is primarily utilized to transmit data communications. TCP/IP is the communications protocol of the Internet and is the most accepted networking protocol available. Referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram demonstrating a known connection procedure to a packet based communication system, is illustrated. Terminal 400 may be a regular circuit connected telephone, a fax or a modem. Terminal 400, when it goes off-hook, sends an offhook signal to Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) 402. A function of DSLAM 402 is to recognize and separate voice transmissions from data transmissions and route each to networks that are optimized to support them. Switch 404 is a digital switch within a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) and switch 404 sends a dial tone to terminal 400 as soon as it receives the offhook signal from DSLAM 402. In this instance, DSLAM 402 receives and transmits DTMF tones dialed by terminal 400 to digital switch 404. DSLAM 402 recognizes DTMF tones and if the tones are associated with an ISP (not shown), switch 404 connects terminal 400, via DSLAM 402, directly to modem pool 406. Modem pool 406 makes connection with a server within the ISP and initiates a data communication session with server 408, within the ISP. Server 408 communicates with terminal 400 until receiving a termination request from 400. Server 408 then sends an acknowledge signal to terminal 400 which then sends an onhook signal to DSLAM 402. DSLAM 402 passes the onhook signal to digital switch 404, and releases the connection from DSLAM 402 to modem pool 406.
If DSLAM 402 does not recognize the received tones as a telephone number for an ISP, digital switch 404 sends a ringback signal to terminal 400, connecting the terminal to the dialed number via the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) and a voice connection is made. The communications session initiated between terminal 400 and the dialed number continues until terminal 400 goes onhook. This action sends an onhook signal to DSLAM 402 which in turn passes the signal to digital switch 404 and the connection between terminal 400 and the dialed number is ended.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a known system for accessing the Internet via voice and multimedia terminal is illustrated. In this instance, multimedia terminal 602 connects with DSLAM 604 via wireline means. DSLAM 604 routes a transmission from terminal 602 via modem pool 606 which seeks a data communications session with, in this instance, ISP 612. ISP 612 then makes connection to either internal intranet servers 613 or provides a portal to the Internet 614 and routes the transmission accordingly. Alternatively, if the call were a voice call, the call would be routed through DSLAM 604 via voice circuit (wires) and through digital switches in central office 608 of a local exchange to circuit network 610.
In summary, wireline operators are redefining the telecommunications market and the competition within that market. The demand for bandwidth in the wireline marketplace has exploded, requiring major reconstruction of existing networks and developing other means for carrying the increasing voice and data traffic, such as voice and data utilizing cable modems to access the Internet.
It would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus that would provide telcos (regional and national telephone systems, all referred to as telcos) options that would allow a telco operator to provide a system capable of supporting current data and voice traffic and simultaneously providing for easy transition to developing communication means such via the Internet. It would also be desirable to provide a method and apparatus wherein a data communications function is the initial connection between a communications device and a telco network.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for supporting multiple connection standards in a communications system, with the initial connection being a data communications function.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus that will act as a means of transitioning from a present day switches and wire environment to a cable modem xe2x80x9calways onxe2x80x9d environment.
As a telecommunications device goes off-hook a simultaneous connection is made to a local exchange and a data network removing the necessity to dial, or input numbers to access the data network. Upon connection to the local data network, a modem tone is returned to the telecom device. Connection to the local exchange causes a dial tone to be returned to the DSLAM in the local exchange. The device receives the modem tone, the dial tone is blocked by the DSLAM and a data communication session begins. If the device transmits DTMF signals within 20 seconds, the call reverts to a standard switched call, dropping the connection with the local data network. If no DTMF signals are sent within 20 seconds, the DSLAM releases the connection with the local Exchange and the data communications session continues.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.